How to Change DNS Settings on Your PS5

Using the wrong DNS can get in the way of enjoying your games. Fallow these steps to change your PS5 DNS.

If both your internet and the PSN network are working fine, and yet you can't access some PSN features, you might want to try using a different DNS. Read on to learn how you can manually set DNS addresses for your PS5.

What Is a DNS?

A Domain Name System or a DNS is essentially a system that translates domain names into readable IP addresses. In this way, when you enter a domain name the DNS connects you to the correct server.

After the rapid growth of the internet in the 80s, domain names were created to ease internet navigation. However, all of the computers on the internet still communicate through IP addresses (like 54.157.137.27).

When you enter a domain name like MakeUseOf.com in your browser's address bar, the DNS server translates this for the computer running the website so that it understands the request. Thanks to this, you get to surf the web without ever giving a thought to the IP address behind a website.

Your internet service provider, or ISP, also provides you with automatic DNS servers when you're connected to the internet. This frees you from the burden of having to find a DNS server and setting it up manually, but sometimes the automatic DNS servers that the ISP provides aren't good enough.

If you're still curious about what DNS is and why is it important, you can read our in-depth article on DNS servers and their importance.

Why Change Your PS5 DNS Settings?

Automatic DNS servers can be bothersome if the online services you're trying to access aren't compatible with the DNS server that your ISP has assigned you. This issue can also occur with the PlayStation Network, and some features such as PSN voice chat, or the PS Store might become inaccessible to you. An incompatible DNS might also result in high ping in online games.

Fortunately, you can manually change the DNS settings in your PS5 and get the services you want. If the connection issues you're experiencing are DNS-related, then setting manual DNS servers can fix it for good.

Related: Best DNS Servers for Improved Online Safety

How to Change DNS Settings on Your PS5

1. Go to the Settings page.

2. On the Settings page, go to Network.

   
3. Once you're on the Network page, from the left bar select Settings.
4. Go right and then select Set Up Internet Connection. This will bring up a list of networks.
5. Navigate to the network that you're using and then select it.

6. From the menu select Advanced Settings. This will display the advanced settings for that network.

   
7. Select DNS Settings and set it to Manual. This is set to Automatic, by default. Once you enable manual DNS settings, two new fields will appear labeled Primary DNS and Secondary DNS. In this case, we're going to enter the Google DNS addresses.
8. Select Primary DNS and enter 8.8.4.4.
9. Select Secondary DNS and enter 8.8.8.8.

10. Select OK on the right.

    
11. Wait for your PS5 to conduct a network test.
12. Enjoy the fresh DNS!

Public DNS Servers for Gaming

If you don't know any DNS addresses to set for your PS5, you can use free public DNS servers. You can see a table containing some of the more popular public DNS servers below:

Provider Primary DNS Secondary DNS Google 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4 Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1 Quad9 9.9.9.9 149.112.112.112 OpenDNS 208.67.220.220 208.67.222.222 Verisign 64.6.64.6 64.6.65.6

Related: How to Find the Fastest DNS to Optimize Your Internet Speed

Customize Your PlayStation DNS

Though automatic DNS servers are generally a blessing, in some cases they can also be a curse. If your PS5 judges the automatic DNS to be the latter and not the former, then now you know how to set a manual DNS to overcome the connectivity issues. If your connectivity issues run deeper than DNS settings and your PS5 WiFi is acting up, then it's a good idea to troubleshoot it.

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